TC
TEAM
CAPTAIN Manual
www.namiwalks.org
Thank You for your interest in
becoming a NAMIWalks
team captain
While this event relies upon the participation and
generosity of each individual, team captains are
able to go above and beyond to support NAMI and
people affected by mental illness. Team captains
help us involve even more participants in
NAMIWalks and raise funds to support essential
education, advocacy, support and awareness
programs to help build better lives for the millions
of Americans affected by mental illness.
To become a team captain, all you have
to do is ACT…
Assess and plan
Create your team
Tune in and Fundraise
This guide will help you with the details on how to
accomplish each step. Also see the NAMIWalks
Fundraising Manual to help your team achieve its
fundraising goal.
For more information please visit
www.namiwalks.org.
Assess and Plan
A team is made up of at least ten
people united in some way—any way you
choose. You can sign up with colleagues, a
support group, neighbors, friends and even your book
club. Decide what you want your team to accomplish
and follow these steps to plan with NAMIWalks for
your team participation:
• Choose a team name (or have your teammates
choose the name together).
• Set your team goals:
________________ people will be on the team.
Our team aims to walk _______________ miles.
Our team seeks to raise $_________________.
• Register your team with NAMIWalks
- Go to www.namiwalks.org and select “Find a Walk”
- Click the first letter of your state and then
select your walk location from the list.
- Select “Register to Walk”
- Register like normal, but when you get to
“Registration Type,” choose “Register and
Create a Team”
• Edit your personal and team webpages.
• Utilize your team web page to keep your team
members motivated and informed.
• Utilize your team web page to collect
online credit card donations.
Create a Team
Find Teammates
• Spread the word to people you
know. Make sure people are aware of
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NAMIWalks
The most successful team
captain:
the opportunity to participate in NAMIWalks and
support those affected by mental illness.
• Send emails to your friends, family and
colleagues. This can be done directly from you
NAMIWalks page by selecting EMAIL and editing
the pre-written message.
• Walk on behalf of someone you know who is
affected by mental illnessor perhaps someone
who has lost their life to mental illness, if
appropriate. Ask others to support this person
with you.
• Post information about your participation on your
Facebook, Twitter or blog. Include links to the
NAMIWalks website so readers can find out more
information.
Register and Motivate Your Teammates
Once you have assembled your team, help them
each register for NAMIWalks.
• Encourage your teammates to register with your
team online, create their own walker
fundraising page and make their own donation.
• If necessary, form your walker’s webpage for
them.
• Share your team name with each individual.
• Create team t-shirts.
• Follow team registration on your team
webpage.
• Use your team webpage to motivate your team
by sending frequent team emails. Include an
up-to-date list of walkers and funds raised.
• Communicates regularly with their team
members.
• Is enthusiastic and passionate about mental
illness recovery.
• Establishes and meets their fundraising goal.
• Fundraises with a personal email or letter.
Tips for Teams:
• Define the overall purpose and objectives for
the team and communicate these to your team
members often. Constant contact with your
team keeps everyone informed and motivated.
• Ensure that each team member understands
their own role and responsibility within the
team. Assign tasks for walk day, getting
sponsors, etc.
• Coach team members with “scripts” so they
feel comfortable with asking for donations.
• Identify the strengths of the team and
maximize these. Use each team member’s
strengths. Some are not good at asking for
dollars and others are okay with it.
• Celebrate significant successes within the
team, both collectively and individually. Praise
a sponsorship, fundraising goal, new walker,
etc.
• Plan a special pre-walk or a post-walk
barbecue, brunch, party or dinner to help
celebrate the day and show your support.
• Make signs together for walk day. This creative
activity can help bring your team closer
together and show your spirit.
• Start a friendly competition with your team and
get incentive prizes for those who reach
certain goals, if it feels right.
• Relax and be proud of the important role you
and your family and friends are playing in the
fight for all those living with mental illness.
NAMIWalks
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Prepare and Fundraise
Now the fun part! You and your team
are ready to prepare for the NAMIWalks
event. Start by reassessing your fundraising and
fitness goals to make sure they suit the entire
team’s ambitions. Next, prepare to motivate and
guide the teammates towards each goal.
Fundraise
Each walker is expected to raise at least $100 to
support the event. There are many of exciting ways
to fundraise, so help you teammates find the ones
that work best for them. Whether you choose to
fundraise together as a team or individually, there
are many fun and easy ways to reach your goal.
Read the NAMIWalks Fundraising Manual for a
complete guide to fundraising and see below for
tips on how to get started.
Online Fundraising
• Email the donations and sponsorship links for
your NAMIWalks website to your friends, family,
colleagues, local businesses, clubs, etc.
• Each individual team member can set up a
webpage to send to his or her community
contacts. Have team members send out their
links also.
• Use social media, such as Twitter, Facebook
and blogs, to let your online network know
about your participation in NAMIWalks and how
to help.
• Send regular emails to update yuour sponsors
and supporters of yuour goal and how close
you are to reaching it.
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NAMIWalks
• Update your social media pages and posts
regularly to keep people checking back.
• Create an event on Facebook and include a link
to your fundraising page.
• Add a link to your NAMIWalks page in your
email or on your Facebook, Twitter or blog.
Other Methods
• Follow the NAMIWalks Fundraising Manual.
• Write and send letters to your community
contacts. A sample letter is included under
EMAIL on your NAMIWalks webpage.
• Ask people you know to contribute in person.
• If you have a relationship with a small business
owner, ask the business to place collection
materials in the store or office.
• Create your own team fundraising initiatives
that involve community members.
• Hang flyers in public locations around your
town with your phone number and website link.
• Hold a bake sale, garage sale or similar event.
• Take advantage of the matching gifts program
that may be available through your employer.
Team captain
checklist and
timeline
Seven to nine weeks before the walk
____ Attend the team captains’ Kick-off Luncheon
and get all the materials you will need to publicize
the walk and recruit walkers for your team.
____ Complete the team commitment/goal form
and hand it in at the end of the event.
____ Start to wok closely with the staff person and
volunteers coordinating the walk to build your
team.
____ Be a leader! Be the first person to register for
your team and make a donation to yourself. Do all
the things that you are encouraging others to do
____ Schedule a meeting with the highest level
manager you ran reach (ideally the top manager or
official of your company or organization) and ask
him or her to sign up for the team and support your
efforts to recruit employees/members (and their
families) to participate in the walk.
____ Try to recruit assistant team captains or
organize a volunteer committee to help you build
your team.
____ Hold a meeting for your assistant team
captains or the planning committee your recruit.
____ Develop a walker recruitment game plan that
includes things like publicizing the walk within your
company or organization, distributing walk
materials to all your fellow employees/members,
developing incentive prizes for top money raising
walkers and groups or departments and arrange
for a NAMI representative to give a talk to potential
supporters about the organization’s mission and
the walk.
____ Make sure all the assistant team captains
you recruit join you in signing up for the walk.
Four to six weeks before the walk
____ Schedule a team building kick-off event
for your company or organization
employees/members and have a NAMI staff
person or volunteer join you in presenting the
program.
____ Send a team building announcement
memo with a NAMIWalks walker or sponsor
brochure to all employees/members.
____ Sponsor a team t-shirt design contest
among your employees/members.
____ Begin sending team building progress
reports about the walk to everyone on your
team.
Two to four weeks before the walk
____ Select the winning team t-shirt design
and order enough team t-shirts for all of your
walkers. (You may have to estimate the
number of shirts needed since walkers will
continue to register even after the shirts are
ordered.)
____ Continue to promote the walk thorough
memos, emails and newsletter articles.
____ Hold a special sign-up day at work (or at
a meeting of your club or organization) to
recruit more walkers and raise awareness
about the walk.
One to two weeks before the walk
____ Make a final big push to recruit as many
walkers as possible.
____ Distribute team t-shirts to your walkers a
day or two before the walk.
____ send a final reminder to all your walkers
about the walk.
Now that you know all the steps recommended for becoming a successful team captian, the only thing left to
do is get started. NAMIWalks thanks you for the extra effort you are dedicating to helping those affected by
mental illness. Remember to refer back to this guide often to properly help your team prepare for the
NAMIWalks event. Also read our NAMIWalks Fundraising Manual and share them with your teammates.
Together, you can achieve wonderful things to help build better lives for those affected by mental illness.
Enjoy the walk!
NAMIWalks
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www.namiwalks.org